Fighting Flare

Fighter of The Week: Amanda Heslinga + a Rocks With Sass Giveaway

Today I'm excited to introduce you to Amanda Heslinga, Crohn's fighter and the force behind Rocks With Sass jewelry. I found Amanda on Instagram a few weeks ago when I stumbled across some gorgeous photos of her jewelry and had to find out why they were tagged with #CCFA#Crohns#Colitis.

As it turns out, Amanda was diagnosed with Crohn's five years ago and has had a very bumpy ride...enduring countless needles and injections, 30+ nights in the hospital and a major surgery.  But, she hasn't let that stop her.  In remission now, she is fighting to build awareness and fund research for IBD.  She is a Take Steps for Crohn's and Colitis team captain and until October 11, is donating 100% of the proceeds from sales of her jewelry line to the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America.  How cool is that?  Check out the pictures below for a sampling of what her line is all about...pretty sassy, eh??

Amanda will be walking for Take Steps on October 11th with a team of friends and family and is very excited to report that her team has shattered their fundraising goal of $1500 and have already raised over $5000 for Take Steps.  That money goes directly to funding patient programs and IBD research, so that is huge!  Way to go Amanda! 

I decided to feature Amanda this week because I love what she's doing and I think it's amazing how she has taken a really bad situation and turned it into something positive. 

I asked Amanda to share a few thoughts about what keeps her so positive even when things get rough and this is what she had to say...

"I like to remind myself of two things:

1. I know for certain than I am stronger than my current situation.

2. The physical and emotional pain I am feeling now has a future purpose.

This fall will be 5 years since being diagnosed. I can say the past 5 years have taught me many things. Most importantly, I've come to realize that sometimes God puts you in circumstances that force you to surrender. For many years I was angry with God for my situation. I didn't understand why this was happening to me and wondered how all of this pain could be worth any plan he had in store for me. It wasn't until recently I've come to let go of my anger and confusion towards God.

As difficult as it sounds, I would encourage your readers to find the positive in the trials they face. Having a positive outlook on a difficult situation can make all the difference in the world."

If you'd like to help, you can support Amanda and help fund IBD research by visiting Rocks With Sass on Etsy and purchasing one (or more!) of her gorgeous, sassy pieces!  Or, visit her team fundraising page to make a tax deductible donation. OR...keep reading to find out how you can enter to win a Rocks With Sass Crystal Pendant Necklace! 

I absolutely fell in love with Amanda's necklaces and decided to buy a few for myself...how could I resist with the added incentive of the donation to the CCFA??  Here's the fun part...I bought one to give away to one of you!  Just 'cause I can. 

Wouldn't you love to win this 3-tiered crystal necklace??  The chains are mixed metal in bronze, gunmetal and silver and all together is about 25 1/2" long...perfect length to wear over tunics, turtles, t's...you name it. 

Here's a closer look at the crystals.  And did I mention that this little beauty will arrive to you perfectly packaged for gift giving (or for treating yourself!)

All you have to do to enter this giveaway is help spread the word about the giveaway and in doing so, help me create a little more awareness about IBD.  I'm also going to give you some bonus entries for being my friend (or Amanda's!)...so be sure to friend, favorite or like us wherever you like to hang out.  Check out the Rafflecopter widget below to see all the ways you can enter...do as many or as few as you like...it's up to you.  See below for all of the terms and conditions.

UPDATED 10/6: Wow!  What a response!  There were almost 400 entries, so thank you to everyone who participated by tweeting, liking, following and sharing to help spread IBD awareness!  Your efforts are much appreciated!  And now, I'm excited to announce that Rafflecopter has randomly selected winner **Cindy J** who will be receiving this fantastic crystal pendant necklace!  If you didn't win, don't be sad.  I will be holding another giveaway soon, so stay tuned for details.  And thanks again to Amanda Heslinga and Rocks With Sass for the great fundraising work you are doing for the CCFA.  Best of luck on your walk this weekend!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanks SO much for your support and thank you to Amanda for being such an inspiration!  And good luck to all the giveaway entrants!  I'll be revealing the winner right here on my blog in just a little over a week...but, of course you'll be the first to know, because by then you'll all be following along at any of the links below, right???  XOXO, Cindi

Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram | subscribe to this blog

 

Show Me The Honey! An SCD Rosh Hashanah

First off, Shanah Tovah to all of my friends in The Tribe who are celebrating the Jewish New Year.  I realize that this post is coming a little late for those of you who actually celebrate Rosh Hashanah on Rosh Hashanah, but if - like me - you reschedule holidays for your convenience, this will help you out this weekend.  Otherwise, bookmark it for next year.  I just want to get this post out of my head and into the blog.  ;)

When we started SCD last September, Rosh Hashanah was the first holiday we had to navigate within the confines of our new diet.  Yes, it's true, I had to give up challah and my beloved noodle kugel recipe, but honestly of all the holidays, Rosh Hashanah has to be the easiest one to adapt for SCD...it's all about the honey!

My food photos from last year are not great, so I'm trying something new with this post and featuring a round-up of recipes I've saved to my Rosh Hashanah board on Pinterest.  The recipes represent a range of symbolic foods and dishes...some traditional, some not so much.  They all inspire me in some way.  Some I've made, some I haven't.  Please keep in mind that I do not keep kosher and am not a stickler for Jewish food rules...especially since I have enough SCD rules to keep me busy.  I like to celebrate in the spirit of the holiday, upholding traditions in a way that works for me and my family. (You can read about my mixed-up holiday upbringing here.)  I'll try not to offend anyone, but if I do, please accept my apologies...no harm intended.  ;)

If you click on the photos, you'll be taken to the pin with my comments and tips for any ingredient tweaks if needed.  You can click from there to get to the recipes.  There are also lots of other recipes on my board that you can scan through for inspiration.  Most of the recipes are SCD-compliant or include my notes about how to adapt them, but some are purely for inspiration and are not SCD-legal.  Please keep this in mind as you look.  ;)

So, here we go...

Main Course

I love roast chicken for Rosh Hashanah.  It's easy to prepare and beloved by many...the ultimate comfort food.  I made this recipe last year and it was delicious.  I also like that this recipe doesn't have honey, but the lemon and rosemary play well with sweeter side dishes.
I've never cooked lamb for Rosh Hashanah, but I'm digging this Roasted Lamb with Pomegranate.
Sometimes, I'll roast a side of salmon 'cause I live in Seattle and salmon is kind of a "thing" here...this Honey Glazed Salmon with Lime Butter looks pretty easy and sounds d'lish.  
My mom always made brisket with the ol' cream of mushroom and onion soup mix combo...loved it, but can't make it now, so I'm on the hunt for a new recipe...this Garlic Honey Brisket looks like it has potential...

 

Tzimmes

I have never been a fan of cooked carrots, so I've actually never made tzimmes. (See, I told you I was a rule breaker!)  It's such an easy thing to adapt for SCD though, and many people love it, so I'm including a few versions in this post.  The traditional stew is made from sweet root vegetables and dried fruit...usually roasted with honey and cinnamon.  Most recipes call for sweet potatoes or yams, but you can easily sub butternut squash, beets or even apples.  It would also be fun to try new combinations of dried fruit...if you don't like prunes, try dried apples, apricots, cherries or raisins.  I may be trying one of these sans carrots this year...

Try dressing things up with a little citrus zest on top...
or go all out and spiralize your veggies for a festive touch.

 

KUGEL

Noodle kugel with apricots was always the best part of Rosh Hashanah dinner, in my opinion. I used to put double apricots in my recipe because that was my favorite part.  If you are wondering, a kugel is basically just a baked pudding or casserole...most often sweet...usually made with noodles or potatoes and eggs.  Obviously, noodles and potatoes are out of the question on SCD, so veggie kugels are the new noodles. (Ha! Say that five times fast!) As with the tzimmes, you can sub SCD-legal root veggies or squash for sweet potatoes...and rutabaga makes a great sub for white potatoes.  Last year I ended up making this summer squash kugel that turned out pretty well...even if the photo didn't...LOL.  :)

Here's another version of a veggie kugel with caramelized leeks.  This one uses sweet and white potatoes, so I would either double up on the SCD legal veggies in the recipe or sub appropriate amounts of SCD-legal squash or root veggies to make it work.

This sweet potato kugel also looks easy and d'lish...I'd just use butternut squash instead of the sweet potatoes and replace the matzoh meal with nut flour. 

Last, but not least, what would Rosh Hashanah be without...

Cake

My mom-mom's honey cake was famous for being ridiculously dense and sticky.  My mom, on the other hand, made an apple cake that was incredibly light and fluffy.  Whatever your preference, you gotta have a cake.  Or something with apples and honey at the very least.  There are lots of cake recipes that can easily be converted to SCD just by swapping almond flour for wheat flour.  If you want some already proven recipes, a search for SCD Apple Cake or Paleo Apple Cake on Pinterest will give you lots of options.  I made this one a few years ago before we started SCD and am seriously considering it for this year...with a few teaks, I think it will work. 

And this pic is all about the presentation...no recipe in this post...just a "how to" for assembling this gorgeous creation...you could use any SCD legal cake and icing recipe you like. 

So, that's the menu plan for this year.  We're having our dinner on Sunday, so I'll share some pics in real time on my Instagram and will try to pull together a recap on the blog next week to let you know how things turned out. As I mentioned earlier, there are a lot more recipes on my Rosh Hashanah Pinterest board, along with decorating ideas, holiday crafts and some great videos, so check it out if you need some pin-spiration! 

Be sure to stop by on Monday to meet my next IBD Fighter of the Week.  I'll also be kicking off my first giveaway to spread awareness about IBD!  (I think I already asked you this, but you like jewelry, right??)  Don't miss out!  Thanks for visiting, have a great weekend and a sweet New Year!!!  XOXO, Cindi

Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram | subscribe to this blog

SCD Celebrations...Yes, it can be done!

Put your hands up in the air...and wave 'em from here to there...we're talking parties today.  Woot!  SCD celebrations.  Yes, that's right....I just used "SCD" and "celebration" in the same sentence.  It can happen.  Just because you changed your diet doesn't mean you have to miss out on all the fun.  I promise!

I'm going to share some truths today, but before I go any further, allow me to reveal a few things about myself.  (This is where I qualify myself as an expert on this topic.) I was raised Jewish in a half Catholic, half Jewish family.  We celebrated EVERYTHING.  As a result, I've never been one to shy away from a chance to throw a party. I am now a Jewish mother married to a handsome, Gentile and raising a beautiful Jewish daughter.  I'll give you three guesses what we celebrate...ok, EVERYTHING.  LOL! 

I still love to throw a good party and have been doing so successfully for many years while accomodating the dietary needs of friends and family whose allergies run the gamut from severe egg and nut allergies, to dairy and soy intolerances.  I have a few friends who are vegetarian and once even planned a Hawaiian Luau themed bacherlorette party that was kosher and vegan!  Let's just say I'm an old pro at working around food issues.  SCD is no different once you get the hang of it, but as I realized last fall, there is a learning curve.

When we first started SCD last September, holidays and celebrations weren't even on our radar.  We just wanted to get our little girl healthy.  Heck, I was still just trying to figure out what to make for breakfast.  My birthday snuck up on me in mid-September.  I ignored it.  Then came Rosh Hashana.  Happy New Year! No noodle kugel for you!  Halloween followed and was seriously the lowest point in our SCD journey. 

My daughter's school had a pizza party the week before Halloween followed by a Halloween party the week of...she couldn't eat anything.  There was a birthday party later that week...again, nothing she could eat.  To cap it all off, we had our annual Halloween party at home followed by trick-or-treating.  I made plenty of SCD-legal food for our party, but of course, she couldn't eat any of her candy...and truthfully, she wasn't too excited about my veggies and bean dip.  I will never forget the ache in my heart as she pleaded with me on Halloween night to eat "just one tiny little bite of candy."  Nothing prepares you for that kind of heartache.  I wanted so badly to cave...to let her eat the stupid candy...to let her feel like a normal 7-year old again.  I wanted to push the ache from my heart and see her happy.  I wanted the stinging tears in my eyes to go away so she wouldn't see them.  One tiny little bite could solve all that, right?  How bad could one bite be?   

Two things stopped me from caving.  One, I knew that it could make her sick and I didn't dare risk a flare after being so strict with SCD for the previous two months.  No way was all that sacrifice going to be in vain.  Two, I didn't want to set a precedent and go against doctor's orders.  The last thing I needed to do was teach my daughter that it was ok to bend the rules when it came to her health.  So, I stuck to my guns and ate all her candy myself.  JOKING!  We had an awesome "candy-trade-in-toy" waiting for her and lots of snuggles and hugs.  Unfortunately, all the toys, snuggles and hugs in the world couldn't have cheered our little girl up.  She was so frustrated and nothing could change the fact that IBD had stolen her Halloween. 

Why am I telling you all this?  I started off this post by saying that SCD doesn't have to ruin all the fun and then spilled all the gory details about what a party pooper it is.

Honestly, I felt compelled to give you the bad news first.  It's hard in the beginning.  Really flippin' hard.  It's hard to watch everyone else have what you can't.  It's hard to be the one who is different.  It's hard to feel left out.  It's hard to be seven and not eat candy on Halloween. Shoot, it's hard to be 41 and not eat candy on Halloween.  The key is to remember that it is a choice.  You chose this diet for a reason, so draw strength from that.  If you weren't sacrificing some favorite foods, you'd be suffering side effects of medicines or symptoms of your disease. 

The good news is that there is a light at the end of the tunnel.  Two things happen the longer you stay on this diet.  First of all, your cooking will likely get better...LOL.  You'll discover more recipes that you love and you'll learn how to adapt your old favorites.  You'll get to the point where you do not feel that you are missing out anymore because what you are eating is so good.  Second, you'll be surprised at how your tastes change when you you get some distance from your old diet. Your threshold for sweets goes way down...things that would hardly have registered as sweet before are now sweet enough to stasify even the strongest cravings.  And things that tasted weird at the beginning start to taste normal...baked goods especially.  I can't lie to you and tell you that you will stop missing your old favorites, because you probably won't.  But you will feel healthier and happier about where you are which makes the diet much easier to deal with.

Does that mean that Halloween will come without it's share of tears this year?  Doubtful.  My daughter has already told me that she's lost her love for the holiday because "what's the point of trick-or-treating if you can't eat the candy?"  I pointed out that dressing up in costumes was half the fun, to which she replied, "It may be fun for grown-ups who never get to dress up, but I play dress up all the time, so it's not really a big deal."  Wisdom beyond her years, I tell ya. 

Just know that it gets easier.  And aside from Halloween, the rest of the holidays are much easier to contend with.  Also, you are not alone.  I've got your back.  Going forward, I'll be sharing lots of SCD-friendly holiday tips and delicious recipes.  You can find them all in the Happy Holidays section of my blog...look for the link in the navigation bar at the top of my home page or just search by holiday.  I'll share what's worked for us and hopefully, it will help you too. 

Stay tuned for the scoop on Rosh Hashana in my next post...Show Me The Honey!

Thanks for stopping by and wishing you a season full of Happy SCD Holidays and Celebrations!  XOXO, Cindi

Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram | subscribe to this blog

 

Celebrate image via Brit + Co.

Seattle Seahawks Bento Lunches

Avocado, football breakfast sausage, blueberries, pistachios, black grapes, kiwi and berries, walnuts, Brie, Marcona almonds and a provolone no. 12.

Are you ready for some football???  In honor of this weekend's much anticipated Superbowl rematch game, I dedicate today's post to Seahawks fans everywhere. These are two lunches I made for my daughter last year in the days leading up to the Superbowl.  Her school is Seahawk CRAZY, so these lunches scored big in the lunchroom. 

For the first one, I made little football shaped breakfast sausages using my easy 3-ingredient breakfast sausage recipe.  Right after I took them out of the oven, I added thin slices of provolone cheese to the tops while they were still warm...the cheese melted just enough to stay put and look like the laces on tiny little footballs.  I even stuffed a few with cheese! You could easily do this with meatballs too instead of sausage.

For a snack, I included a "Beast Mode" banana with a secret message poked into the skin.  You can do this with a paperclip, toothpick, point of a knife...whatever you have that is pokey (and clean!)  The message will appear soon after you make your pokes. Thank you Pinterest for that stroke of brilliance!

The second lunch was a little harder...there's a limit to what you can do with blue and green food...LOL! This time I used some quacamole to stuff the eggs and included some pork rinds...seemed appropriate...LOL.

Black grapes and kiwi, mini Brie bite, homemade cinnamon thumbprint cookies, guacamole stuffed eggs, pork rinds, white radish coins and marcona almonds.

You can easily adapt these ideas for any team's colors...just look for fresh produce in team colors and add white and brown extras.  The mini-muffin cups help add that extra little bit of flair.

Be sure to check out my Instagram tomorrow to see what I came up with for Seahawk lunch No. 3!  And in case you need some good snacks for the game, check out this round-up of Decptively Decadent Snacks That Won't Twist Your Gut.  Most importantly, good luck to the Hawks as they go back into battle with the Broncos this weekend!  Thanks for stopping by and have a great weekend!  XOXO, Cindi

Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram | subscribe to this blog

Fighter of The Week: Savannah Stone

When my daughter was first diagnosed with ulcerative colitis, my brother, a long time Crohn's fighter, warned me to stay off the internet.  He told me that all I'd see was horror stories, because the people who were responding well to treatment and living full lives were not the ones on the internet talking about how great they felt.  Although not entirely true, he did have a point.

It's very easy to get sucked down the internet rabbit hole of sad and terrifying IBD stories, and while those stories need to be told, I think it's really important for good mental health to focus on the positives. The inspiring stories are out there...they're just a little harder to find sometimes...until now. ;)

Today marks the kick-off of a new series I'm calling "Fighter of The Week."  This is my attempt to shine a light on the inspiring stories of the people who are fighting IBD each and every day, so that they are easier to find among all the darkness.  I, personally, find it comforting to hear about people who are living and thriving with IBD inspite of the challenges they face and I hope you will too.

It is not my intent to sugar-coat this disease, but rather to acknowledge that there are people who are making the best of a bad situation.  These are the people I hope my daughter will look up to as she gets older and who will inspire her to know that IBD doesn't have to stop her from doing anything she wants if she keeps the right attitude about it. 

I know these stories won't take away the bad stuff, but hopefully, by focusing on the positives, the bad stuff will seem a little less bad.  I sincerely hope that you'll be comforted, energized, hopeful and strengthened emotionally from reading these stories.  

Now, without further ado...I am honored to introduce my muse for this series...IBD Fighter of the Week: Savannah Stone. 

I found Savannah (aka: @SavvyStone) on Instagram recently.  This picture of her in the hospital caught my eye...largely because her smile seemed so out of place in the context of a hospital bed with a needle stuck in her arm.  Giving a thumbs up, even!  Then I read the comment she had written to go with the photo and I got chills.  Here was a girl so sick and yet, still so grateful for all of the good things in her life.  What an optimist...truly a girl after my own heart!  I immediately contacted her to ask if it would be ok to share her photo and comments on my blog.  She enthusiastically agreed, stating that she had gained her inspiration from others and wanted to pass it on. 

Have a look at what she had to say...I  highlighted my favorite parts.  ;)

"I had my 5th colonoscopy on Wednesday. The doctors have found that my Crohn's has moved from my small intestine to my bowel, and I have multiple fissures. It has progressed from moderate Crohn's to severe. I start medicine next week, Humira. That sucks, but you know what you see in this picture? Me smiling.

Why? First off because I was about to get some "Mother's Milk" to knock me out cold, and that stuff is awesome, but secondly, I'm smiling because I'm happy. I'm happy that I have the ability to have colonoscopies and to be able to afford medicine. I'm happy to live in a world of advanced medicine that allows me to live my life even if I take a few detours. I'm happy because it could be worse. I'm happy because I have a family that supports me and friends that show their unconditional love. I'm happy because no matter what happens, I know I am strong enough to make it through.

I've learned so many things since being diagnosed at 14 years old, many of which were to love my self and appreciate every damn day. Life is so fragile, I mean SO fragile and it could end at any minute for anyone. I've come to accept this. No, I'm not dying, or at least not any faster than normal people, but still, you never know what may happen. Life is scary and unfair, but that's just it-- it's life. No promises, no guarantees, nothing.

Be happy at all times. When something brings you down, think about how it is making you a better person. It can always be worse. So for me, for your family, or for yourself, smile. Laugh. Love. Be happy. You're worth it."

And check out her tags...#soinspiring!!

#behappy #bestrong #love #life #smile #crohns #crohnie #crohnssucks #CrohnsDisease #crohnsawareness #dontworry #giggle #breathe #instawow #colonoscopy #hospital #stillsmiling #appreciate #everything #everydayisagift

 

If Savannah's words inspired you, leave a comment on her photo to let her know...or support her journey by following @SavvyStone on Instagram.  (By the way, today's her birthday, so make sure you wish her a Happy Birthday while you'e there!!)

Do you have an inspiring IBD story to share??  Use the hashtag #FightingFlare on Instagram, share on my Facebook page or e-mail me at FightingFlare@gmail.com.  I would love to hear from you!

I hope you're as excited about this series as I am. I'll try to post these stories on Mondays as often as I can, so you can start your week off right.  I'll be featuring my next Fighter on September 29th and will be doing my first giveaway in conjunction with that post. (You like jewelry, right??)  Be sure to check back for all the details!!  And definitely keep in touch at any of the links below or subscribe to this blog so you don't miss a thing!  Thanks so much for stopping by and have a HAPPY week!  You're Worth It!!  XOXO, Cindi

Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram 

Be Happy Image via The Grass Skirt Blog